Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
AND CULTURE
IN
LATE ANTI QUITY
edited by
Stephen Mitchell
and
Geoffrey Greatrex
with contributiomfrom:
Kate Adshead, Hartwin Brandt, John Curran, Hugh Elton,
Geoffrey Greatrex, Mark Handley, Jill Harries, Naomi Janowitz,
David Lamben, Catrin Lewis, John Matthews, David Milson,
Scephen Mitchell, Fiona Nicks, David Noy, Rachael Pallas-Bro\.vn,
Sacha Stern, Theresa Urbainczyk, Yulia Ustinova, Engelbert Winter
Duckworch
and
Engelbert Winter
uries AD the Indo-Iranian
econd and third cent
god M.tthras un
.
In the s
.
doubtedJ
.
b
imp
mo
orta
st
Y
nt
the
de1t
of
1es
e
thro
n
ugh
o
o
ut the Roman emp. 1
el,4!
,.,, ,,,e
.
. .
ire. The
also e volved 1nto a k een rival of Chn suanity. Ernest R
t
'
e
u
enan s ramous rema
c l
.
, .
. . .
.
rk
le
on:
S1
not
chn
t
st1a
n1sm
th1s
e
es
eut
siz
t
a
arre
t
ph
dans sa croissance par
em
mortel
l
le
le,
monde
e
eut t mithraist e.'2
u ue maladi
q eq
Alth ou gh this view has bee n rejected with good reasons,3 Renan's words pon
t
impo
nce
that
rta
the
cial
cult
of
e
Mith
p
ras claimed for a long period. lt
to the s
is thus not possible to claim that Mithraism was neither a great popular religion
nora threat to Christianity.4 Like Mithras, Christ was a mediator berween good
and evil, light and darkness. Both were considered to be deities of light and sun
meals, the idea of resurrection and of a day of final judgement.5 The mainly
Christian authorities Oustin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Firmicus Maternus,
J. Verm aseren,7 formed and still form the basis of numerous comparaave srudies.
.
Many of these refer to the parallels concerning the doctrines, rules and ntuals of
and
these tw o relig
ions, which both promise redemption. Gary Lease8
attenaon to
Clauss9 prov1
de modern scholarly .1nterpretattons and have drawn
.
Following
the m ost t
ng
di
ea
isl
m
e
b
to
d
mportant issues. Earlier studi es tend e
. .
. ed
Ch rtstian
ucy or vtew
.
saar
Chn
f
0
onty
sources ' they either emphazis ed the supen
-1
. n doctrines10 Alremaavoy
the M'tth .
.
ra1c mysteries as devilish imitations of Chnstta
11 Today
they r g
of M1.thras.
cult
the
f
.
ar
0
oot
d
e
.
e
d Chn. st1an1ty
.
cr:. h
as a sectanan orrs
pcion
thes
an d no ado
ce
e
en
nfl
u
1
rect
di
views have given way to the idea that no
12 T e m ost rece nt
0f si
h
s
ng1 asp
m
yste
s
ous
1.
e
ects took place between rhe rwo reli gi
.un--1
with
COrnp ar .
re w1ons
.
h
bot
f
ative studies
0
u
analyze rhe commo n foundano ns
.::
to th
es.
1
u
(a.l1
.
en
ir
m
e htst
uman
' on. ca I evoluti
from
on and to the history 0f h
incerest
t
os
APan e
m
d
te
. . .
rac
rro m the s1m1lanttes,
.
wh.1ch have att
__
1 '7
Engelbert Wi nter
non has become of prir:, .. '<:'ortance d .
ther phenome
ano
Urtng
.
s,
her
'
c
ear
res
. orous destrucno n of M'ith r1 . . .-,
,, nct ua
ne
ng
s
bY the
years. The
. ,
the 1 as t few .
. : 'l AD o
h
rourt
e
t
e
h
f
ce,;'')
o
half
nd
seco
nwar ds
. .
e m the
1 y rro
.
' has
Ch nsnans ' mam
.
b
Ch
y
ments
,.,
lJ'.,,-,
11
state
aut
atory
ho
rs
derog
r
y
an
efer not
ersy. M
.
led to conc rov
.
.
j f.;.
. .
h
anc
M'
ras
it
,
f
,.;
o
cult
n.st1
. 1ar1t1
the
an1
een
ty
, bue aIs
es berw
o
only to the s1m1 . .
f
h
o
t
ese
rs
two
followe
relig
the
een
ion
berw
s
non
, Iead'ing
to strong compen
E ; . .
. ous urban elashes in the fourth century. 1 n h '1s cctes1ast1c al History th
to sen
e
lived between 380-440, tells us
who
s,
.
.
Sokrate
writer
abour
Ch.nsnan Greek
na
m
gypt
y
Al
d
.
.
E
ll
b
e
exan
w
of
ower
tians
s
Chris
of
the cult
seno us atraeks on che
.
.
J
mpero
t
E
r
e
u
h
o
tan:
f
e
nm
1
the
of Michras, which rook place m
celebrared
formerly
had
pagans
the
man
wherein
.
beings ro Mirhra. This being empty and or erw se useless ...the b1shop George wis hing
to erect a church on rhe sire of ir, gave d1recnons rhar che place should be cleaned.
In che process of clearing ic, an adyrum of vast depth was discovered which unveiled
che narure of rheir heachenish rices: for chere were found there skuJls of many per sons
of ali ages, who were said to have been immolaced for the purpose of divinarion by
che inspection of encrails, when che pagans performed these and such-like magic
ares whereby they enchanced rhe souls of men. The Chriscians on discovering rhese
abominations in rhe adyrum of the Mithraeum, went forrh eagerly ro expose rhem ro
che view and execracion of ali; and therefore carried rhe skulls chroughouc che cicy, in
a kind of criumphal procession, for che inspecrion of the people. When rhe followers of
Mirhras beheld this, unable ro bear the insulting character of the acr, rhey became so
exasperaced, rhar rhey assailed che Chriscians with whatever weapon chanced to come
e. 17
Unn l now there
.
.
us
has
b
een
a
bund ant arehaeolo g1cal
. .
of the religio
ce
ev1de
n
ranat
1c1sm of Christta
ns agamst
the cult of Mithras in ltal y and in the wesrern
and nonhern
. re.
.
provinces, but
i
p
e
rn
not
n
m
a
m
the
Ro
easte rn part of the
our mg
located in ancien D
Dolichen
t oliche, the native rown of
.
us, w ch ts
s1 cuated ne
lOkm
ar the m o d e n v111 age .fDu
"lu
"k, approx1rn
norrh-west
of the Turk
.
ish c1t
y o f Gaz1antep (Frg. 1).1 9
rer
Ip;ely
174
11
1 i-thri,l ism
and t, .
. ni
tfl
.
t:Y m
lrtte anttqutty
.
------- -z,
} :;-
. "
f
:
il
,.,
.....
.....
..
..
'
....
..
...
\ .....
\
u. JIt.
"
u
..
g
:.
. ..
..
..
.... s
.:
'
s:.
..
..
.
...
....
..
\ 1
\1
l
Fig.
19g ; Ancient Co
8 1 O f.
..
..
...
.....
mmagene. After J.
d
Dortmun
er.
ott
G
r
mat tk
ma ene. Hei
Wagner, Kom g
I
.
'"'
Fig. 2: Doliche. From J. Wagner, Bonnerjahrbcher 182 ( 1982), 138. Scale 1: 100,000.
The entrance of the cave is at the bottom of the western side of the so
called Keber Tepe, the hill where the ancient setdement was situated (Fig. 2).
Altogether the natural cave, which was shaped out for the cult ceremonies a n d
is separated into an entrance lounge and the cult chamber, is approximately
40 m long. 20 At the front wall of the cult room three steps lead to a sacrificial
hollow. Above, there is a 2-metre high relief, which depicts the god Mithras
kneeling on the bull. The central scene of the killing of the bull and the outline
of che bull, rearing up to che right, can be seen very clearly. However, the relief
was badly damaged by chisel-blows: Mithras' head was knocked off and replaced
by a Christian cross. Apart from this cross there are further Christian symbols
in other places of the cave. In sorne recesses, which were also adorned with small
reliefs, the pictures were also knocked away and replaced by Christian crosses.
e
All these symbols indicare destruction by Christians, whose numbers mu st ha
n
been considerable in Doliche in later times. After the downfall of paga nism '.
d
this town, possibly as a consequence of its destruction at the hand of the S asa ni
king Sapur I, a bishop resided in Doliche.21 In 1998 we discovered a second ve
A n
monumen al
the first on e. gai
ithraeum
beside
same
the
in
directly
cave,
che cult rel ief is partly destroyed, probably again by the Christians.22
raea
At this stage, not much can be said with regard to che date of che Mich
fucure
and their destructton. Th
'is 1s one of the central proble ms to be solved by
din 0 f
work Funher vest gat
m
t ton should reveal more clues to a better underst a n ge r
.
the relauonsh1p
ed 1 0
. .
.
rn p ec
co
bet ween these two reltg1ons
lC
h
.
h
of redemptton, w
tiollowers. Mo
el at1ng
reov
er,
we hope to find answers to sorne of the qu esu. on s r
n
f
to the cu1t o
rn i g
e
c
o
M1thras an d wh'1ch
e
may promote the wider discusst. on n
176
f '
'\d
,1;raisrn and
.
Christ
. tant
.
ty in
late antiquity
itory of rel'rg1
.
on m the Rom
problems .
.
an and 1 ate
e
ods. 23 The ioll owing questi-0ns are
s t'll
Roman pen
bey ond our
kn
ow1 edge:
1 t h e worship of Mithr
when an d h ow d'd
e
as
d
eve
l
op
irom the ba.ekgrou
.
nd
ruler cult mto a mystery cult? R.
tic
enis
ell
h
Beek' s comprehe
of
ns1v e anide
.
. e F ranz. umon t
smc
C
, ( 1984) summarizes the h'istory
'Michr a1sm
of research' but
.1cattons reveal
.
bl
pu
ent
the
rec
.
d1fficul
.
ti
re
es in find'mg convmcm
mo
g answers.
.
.
'
to Dav1'd Ulan sey s book ' Tht Orio-ins
.
1 will only pomt
0.r1h
o'J , t M'tthra1e
. Mrysterits, i<t
. .
.
in wh1ch he propo ses that the ongm of Mithraism lay wi'th a group ofT:ars1. an
.
Sroics who, at sorn.e time after the middle of the second century se, transmuted
, .
che astronmer Hppar chus h1gh ly technical hypothesis about che precession
.
of the equmoxes mto the foundauon doctrine of che new cult'.2s Beck has
arcempted to refute the view that people in antiquity turned such technical
matt ers into a religion and proposes an alternative theory, to locate Michraism's
where'
1998, 126). M. Giebel has advanced another interescing suggescion, chat che
founder may have been che first king of Commagene, Anciochus 1: 'Whilc che
origin of the culc which was praccised in che west may not yet be demonscraced
by documencary evidence, many indicacions point to Anciochus 1 and che circle
around him as che founding figure.'26 Finally B . Jacobs has again proposed that
the Mithraic mysteries, invenced by an unknown founder, originaced in che
wesc, probably at Rome.27 Until very recently ali the archaeologically idencifiable
Mithraea of che ancienc world have been located in ItaJy and in che western
and nonhern provinces of che Roman empire. New Mithra, ow:ever, have
recently been reponed from souchern Anatolia, 28 and the spec1aJ 1gmfice of
che discovery of two new examples in the eascern part of Anatolia, spec c:aUy
,
in Commagene, an area where che worship of Michras had a long cradmon
is evident.29
.
Commagene not onl.y for
.
1
.
One th mg
h ave ev1dence n
1s cert am
. We now
the yscenes 0
Mithras Apollo as par e of che hellenistic ruler cult, bue aJso for
w Mithraeu o
Michr as. They flourished in che same area. Funhermoe che n
aeolog1cal
.
s further 1mpres.s1ve areh
Dol1c
h e wnh
ns Chns
nan
symbol s represent
. .
e by
d
n comm1tt
proof of che rivalry becwen che cwo rel igions. The destrucno
ror th e very
ea1s e
.
the Chnsci
m 0f Doliche rev
.
.
ans in che newly found M1thraeu
.
an eastern
e cult of M1thras m
fiirse time
th
s
d
towar
nce
their religious intolera
Christian h earc land .
e.roro norrhern
1scovery, 11
Rereerence can also be made to yet ano ther new
.
che
. nsh ip becween
.
. tes the cense re1ano
Syria, w
umma
11
h'1ch in a similar way 1
can be
1
. h'ch
-filled cave, w
.
.
.
cut t 0f
.
earch
an
997
1
M1thras and Chnsnamcy. In
17 7
Engelbert Winter
rhe
e
.
.
.
of Apamea, beneath .
. . eted by
ves, had lw '-. . l .. . . . dt
sun:
still
h
wh1
,
ea
tn the 4
Apam
80s
archbishop Photios of
th
h had ev1dencly been ( 0;1structed
wh1c
ch,
chur
ler
smal
at
.
above an older'
.
e
.
the d escruct1on o.f the Mit
c.
immed1ately arter
ry
centu
hr
h
a
fourt
.
e
the
u
of
rn
end
tat he M1thraeum had served as a pla
ce
Finds of coins and pottery show
date. The excavator remarks th
chis
unttl
as
Mithr
of
ers
at 'it
cult for follow
to
n
have
know
been
latest
che
use
rti
Hawa
d
of
anywhe re
makes the Mithraeum
of
One of the heads has already fallen to the ground outside the gate. N o doubt
the gates of Hell are being assailed here by Mithras himself, in a scene emirely
,
new in the documentation. 31 This leads back to the proximity of Mithras to
Christ, which was articulated at the beginning of this arride. Both deal with
problems between Good and Evil; both, as deities of the light, were engaged in
overpowering darkness, a concept which played a central role in both religions.
lt is to be hoped and expected that future work at Doliche/Dlk and at
Hawarti will throw further light on the relationship between these two most
important religions of late antiquity.
exhausive
a
againsc ce
178
i"
Notes
'
, "J.,u im
. .
and Chrts. tza
nzty
112
late anti.qui.ty
'
.
174)
cla1ms
thac
90,
rhere
(19
was no compecmon
Clauss
b
etw
een che two re11g1on
.
. s
. .
.
d'mg to see M'ich ras and Christ as a 1
ea
l
mis
1s
Jt
at
. .
tern
auv
and rh
es
he
a
'
rgues
.
thar ch1s v1ew
. .
an perspecnve which perceives eomp . .
etmon thac d1d
. noc ex1st
reflects a Chnsu
fcor che
.
.
.
M1thras. However, from che Christian pomt
of v1ew the cult of M"lthras 1
followers of
d"d
.
'
1so M simon
ose a threat wh.ICh th e y h ad to attack. Cf. for discussion
a
' 'Mirhra, nva1
P
'
du Christ?, in Duchesne-Guillemin 1978, 457_78.
.
Justin, dial. 70, and Origen' Contr:'11 eeIsum VI 21-4
5 cf. for example
; on Ongen's
.
' h ra1sm, see Paincer 1994, 215-24.
n al knowled ge o fM1r
J
perso
6
For che sources see Leipoldt and Grundmann 1966 93 f.., and Meyer 1999, 207-10
.
.
.
.
The cexcs of che Fathers agamst M1thra1sm are reviewed by Col pe 1973, 29-43
11
'
12
13
cf. for example M. Gerver, 'The iconography of che cave in Christian and Mirhraic
IS
16
17
ep. 107, 2.
cf. Forrer 1915 (cf. Vermaseren 1956-60, 1335-75); Vermaseren 1965, 33-6 and
Nicholson 1995.
18
19
22
27
Jacobs 1999.
179
CtTtc1a
nter
Engelbert Wi
'
K Dorner, Mirhr;:"
. . 1 975, S ehmeJa 1975; F. .
.
i> c f. Schwcrrheun
m 1984 .
.
. 1978 ' l 23-33; Ouchesne-G u111em
mtn
u1lle
Duchesn e-G
.
liko wski 1999, 201
' Gaw
, 203 wirh fig . 4
.11 Gawlikowski 1999
'z Sauer 1996, 79 .
.1J
,,mmagene' .
,
in
of Mithraea.
vermama 7 6 ( 1998) 379 (
uss, r
another review, see M . Cla
.1 Gordon 1999; for
26.
3< cf. also Turcan 1993, 209-2
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'
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